Category: London

Are you waiting for the long weekend of this year? Who says no, Easter holidays are round the corner. Good Friday is a bank holiday, so for many people, it marked the beginning of their Easter weekend. Monday, April 2 is also a bank holiday, but not every work will give employees these two Easter dates off. We have a handy guide for your Long Easter Weekend Plan. Let’s explore!!!

Hunt down London’s best Easter eggs

Cadbury’s Easter Egg Hunts with National Trust

Chocolate connoisseurs Cadbury’s are yet again bringing their egg hunts to over 250 National Trust locations across the country. In London, you can track them down at Fenton House (Hampstead), Ham House (Richmond), Morden Hall Park (Morden), Osterley Park (Isleworth), Rainham Hall (Havering), Red House (Bexleyheath) and Sutton House (Hackney).

Where: Various locations.

When: March 30 – April 2, (from £2 admission).

East Village, Stratford

Dig out your ruby slippers for this one, as East Village in Stratford will be hosting a Wizard of Oz-themed hunt.

Where: Victory Parade, East Village, E20 1GF.

When: March 31(free).

Lindt Gold Bunny hunt at Hampton Court

So it’s not technically an egg hunt, but a quest to find a Lindt Gold Bunny is a more than worthy charge.

Where: East Molesey, KT8 9AU.

When: March 26 – April 15, included in admission.

Battersea Park Zoo

Your little bunnies won’t be the only cute critters on this Easter trail. Battersea Park Zoo is hiding its Easter eggs all across its resident animal’s enclosures over the bank holiday weekend.

Where: Battersea Park Zoo.

When: March 30 – April 2, from £1.50 plus admission.

Things to do with kids over Easter

Keep them entertained during the Easter school holidays – and away from the chocolate for a bit – with our guide to the best Easter events for children

There are few creative relationships that have the capacity to dazzle countless generations of readers like that between a children’s writer and illustrator.

Where: V&A, Brompton.

When: Until Sunday April 8 2018.

Defend the Tower

On your visit to the Tower of London this spring, join the lively battles that took place way back in the fortress’s past, during 200 years of medieval conflict.

Where: Tower of London, Tower Hill.

When: Until Friday April 27 2018.

Superhero Takeover at ZSL London Zoo

For Easter 2018 ZSL London Zoo invites families to take a self-guided Superpowers Trails to discover the amazing natural talents of its residents – from the super-strong leafcutter ant to the axolotl, which can regrow its limbs.

Where: London zoo, Regents’s Park.

When: Friday March 30 2018 – Sunday April 15 2018.

Colour: The Rainbow Revealed

The Horniman Museum’s interactive exhibition features family-friendly displays, a mood room with sensory lighting to match, and a colour café, where you can discover why our taste buds only react to certain colours.

Where: Horniman Museum, Forest Hill.

When: Until Sunday October 28 2018.

Jungle skills at the National Army Museum

For generations, soldiers have had to take their combat skills into tough and diverse environments, like the jungle!

Where: National Army Museum, Chelsea.

When: Friday March 30 2018 – Sunday April 15 2018.

Investigate for Families at Natural History Museum

Got your eye on at least one of the kids having ‘Dr’ in front of their name or a long list of letters after it, when they grow up?

Where: Natural History Museum, Brompton.

When: Until Sunday April 15 2018.

Go for a fancy Easter Sunday lunch

Easter Sunday is often as much a celebration of food as it is a religious occasion these days. When we think of this time, we think of those sticky buns fresh from the baker on Good Friday, the smell of rosemary and lamb slowly sizzling away together in the oven, of those first daffodils adorning the dining room table as family and friends gather together again. We have List the top 5

Blacklock in Soho

24 Great Windmill St, London, W1D 7LG.

Hawksmoor in Spitalfields

157A Commercial St, London, E1 6BJ.

Kupp in Paddington

Unit 53, 5 Merchant Square, London, W2 1AS.

Latium in Fitzrovia

21 Berners St, London, W1T 3LP.

Dishoom in Covent Garden

12 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, London, WC2H 9FB.

And Finally, Whatever your Easter weekend plan may be, we are happy to be a part of it to make it more fun fulfilled. Exclusiveairports.com has the best taxi deals to cut down your Easter weekend expenses.

Sparkling lights mulled wine and mince pies; it’s certainly the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas!

Christmas in London is a truly magical experience, with so many activities and events to enjoy the whole festive period. London is an infamous city for all types of markets and fairs in all festive periods of the year. Obviously, during Christmas, there are plenty of classic Christmas markets and fairshappening across the city.

Usually, Christmassy cheer has well and truly begun on late November and continues till the New Year. So, here in this article, we have some refined list of best Christmas Markets and Fairs in London.

Best Christmas Markets and fairs in London

Christmas in Leicester Square:

Details: 10th November -7th January

Leicester Square, WC2H 7DE

Christmas by the River at London Bridge City:

Details: 30th November – 3rd January,

Tower Bridge City, SE1

Kingston Christmas Market:

Details: 16th November – 31st December |

Kingston Market Place, Kingston-Upon Thames, KT1 1JS |

Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. :

Details: 17th November – 1st January,

Hyde Park, W2

City Christmas Fair at Drapers Hall:

Details: Until 4th December |

Drapers’ Hall, EC2N 2DQ

Winter fest market at Crystal Palace Park:

Details: December 8th – January 2nd |

Crystal Palace Park SE20 8DT |

Wintertime at Southbank Centre:

Details: 10th November – 30th December |

Southbank Centre Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX |

Winterville Christmas market on Clapham Common:

Details:23rd November-January 1st |

Clapham Common, SW4 9DE |

Greenwich Wintertime Festival:

Details:22nd November-December24th |

Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9LW |

Massive Arts Christmas Fayre:

Details:Until December2nd |

Ritzy Cinema Brixton, SW2 1JG |

Christmas at Kew:

Details:22nd November-1st January |

Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, W9 3AB |

London’s magical Christmas markets and festive fairs are worth wrapping up warm and stepping outside for, with tempting food, warming cocktails and the chance to turn Christmas present shopping into a fun day out rather than a dreaded chore.

For over 800 years the newly elected Lord Mayor of London has made his or her way from the City to distant Westminster to swear loyalty to the Crown. Over the centuries this journey grew into the riotous medieval pageant known to all as the Lord Mayor’s Show, the first outside event ever to be shown live on television and still the oldest and grandest civic procession in the world. It’s a great free day out for the whole family, on the streets of the City of London on November 11th.
The event draws in huge crowds from across the world. These days, the parade is more of a celebration than a show of loyalty.

HISTORY OF THE SHOW

London in 1215 was already an independent-minded place; large, rich, well-connected and hard to rule. It was the largest city north of the Alps, with nearly 15,000 residents, and its power was growing. At the same time, King John’s disastrous reign was falling apart. His armies were retreating in France, he was running out of money and his Barons were on the edge of open revolt.

The city of London, squeezed by the King’s taxes and frequently held hostage in baronial disputes, had been trying since the late 1100’s too organised itself into a medieval commune. The King may have thought he was creating a powerful new ally when in 1215 he gave his support to the commune and issued a Royal Charter allowing the City to elect its own Mayor every year.

There was an important condition. Every year the newly elected Mayor must leave the safety of the City, travel upriver to the small town of Westminster and swear loyalty to the Crown. The Lord Mayor has now made that journey for over 800 years, despite plagues and fires and countless wars, and pledged his/her loyalty to 34 kings and queens of England.

The Mayor of London became the Lord Mayor about a century later and for the next few hundred years; Lord Mayor of London was by far the grandest position to which a commoner could aspire. The Mayor’s journey was the celebrity spectacle of its day and over the centuries it grew so splendid and so popular that by the 16th century it was known everywhere as the Lord Mayor’s Show. It features in the plays of Shakespeare, the diaries of Pepys and the adventures of James Bond and of course in the pantomime story of Dick Whittington, who really was the Mayor of London three times. In the 20th century, the Lord Mayor’s Show was the first outside event ever to be broadcast live and it still attracts a TV audience of millions.

The modern Lord Mayor’s procession is a direct descendant of that first journey to Westminster. The route and date have changed over the years but the pageantry of Hogarth and Canaletto can still be seen in its lively mixture of London’s past, present and future. The state coach is over 250 years old, and the pikemen who guard it are almost as old as the Show. Today you will see the City’s businesses, Livery Companies, charities, Her Majesty’s Forces, the City Police and Londoners from all walks of life come together to enjoy a splendid celebration of the City’s ancient power and prosperity, just as they did in the middle ages.

Whats happening at the event?

The ceremony will begin with a river pageant starting at QRB Gloriana at Westminster Pier, Victoria Embankment, floating downriver to pass through Tower Bridge for a Mayoral salute. Then join in the fun procession, as around half a million people line up along the route to watch the colourful parade travel across the City of London. And also there will be a spectacular fireworks display in the evening. For the best views, try the riverside between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges. Usually, event flows as follows

• FLOTILLA
• PROCESSION
• FIREWORKS

FLOTILLA
When the Lord Mayor’s journey began, London and Westminster were separated by open countryside. The quickest and safest way to get from one to the other was to travel up the Thames, and for the first few hundred years, the Lord Mayor’s Show did just that. If you’ve ever wondered why a carnival is made up of floats, that’s why Crowds would watch from the banks of the Thames.

PROCESSION

Thousands of participants are expected to attend the big day. The Lord Mayor’s Show is a procession of more than 6500 people, 165 horses, 20 bands and 35 carriages. The liveliest crowd is from Bank to St. Pauls between 11.00 am and 12.30 am. Fully assembled it would measure over three miles long but it never is, as the route from Mansion House to the Royal Courts covers less than two miles. For a less crowded viewpoint, we suggest somewhere between Blackfriars and Mansion House station between 1.15 pm and 2.30 pm.

FIREWORKS
To mark the end of the Lord Mayor’s Show and the beginning of a new mayoral year, London’s newly confirmed Lord Mayor will launch a splendid fireworks display over the river. You can expect the display to last 15-20 minutes and the roads to reopen at around 6.30 pm.

The iconic golden Lord Mayor’s Coach can be seen at the Museum of London during the rest of the year.